


Finding Home

by There_Once_Was_A_Girl



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Ficlet, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-23
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-09-01 20:02:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8636248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/There_Once_Was_A_Girl/pseuds/There_Once_Was_A_Girl
Summary: Jack misses hanging out with the team, especially after rough games. Bitty decides to do something about it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was just because omgittybits on Tumblr asked for a fic where Jack comes home after a hard loss to find Bitty has arranged a team sleepover in his place. 
> 
> Nothing belongs to me, Ngozi owns everything including my soul

Jack has had more than a few rough games throughout the season. Games that send him home feeling bone tired, just wanting to curl up in bed and let go of everything. Bitty does everything he can to help on those days but he can’t be there and he knows that’s what Jack would want the most. 

“I just hate coming back to this empty apartment. I’ve got nothing here that makes me feel… real.” Jack admits one night to Bitty over skype. “I miss the Haus. Always so full of people, full of life. It was comfortable. I was surrounded by people who cared you know? But they never forced me to interact or anything, it was enough for us all to just sort of hang. I miss that. I don’t have anyone who I can just hang out with, without having a reason for it.” 

“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.” Bitty says softly. “I’m always here for you. I know it’s not the same, but I really am.” 

“I love you too. And it means so much that I can always call you… but I just miss you. I miss all of you.” Jack says with a sigh. 

“I miss you too.” Bitty tells him. “The team misses you too.”

They move on from the topic that night, searching out happier things to talk about, but Bitty doesn’t forget. He remembers it when Jack has rough days. He tries to get Jack to go out with the team whenever he can. Sometimes Jack listens. Most of the time it’s all that Bitty can do, but he always wants to do more. 

When the Falconers get into the playoffs the whole Samwell team gets together to watch every single game. It’s a rough series of games and it seems like Jack is taking a lot of hits. Bitty doesn’t want to say anything because there’s a chance he’s just overreacting, until Chowder says. 

“Why do they have it out for Jack?” This could be the last game of the playoffs for the Falconers, if they don’t win tonight they’re done. It’s not looking good. 

“Because they are evil fucks!” Shitty exclaims. It’s Friday, and he had come down to watch the game with his team. He has been swearing at the tv the entire game. Bitty stares down at his hands. Lardo pats him on the shoulder. He’s in the center of the team, surrounded by all of his friends who can support him. They know how hard it is for him to watch his boyfriend get battered out there on the ice and not be able to be there for him. 

“Guys?” Bitty asks quietly during halftime. They have muted the idiot commentators. “Can I run an idea past you?” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack doesn’t get home until ridiculously late. The game had been the worst of his life. He loves his team, and he knows that he played his hardest, but never has a loss hurt so hard. The flight home had been full of sullen silence. They all just want to get home to their loved ones. Except Jack. Jack just wants to stay on this plane, where he won’t have to be alone. Better yet Jack wishes he could just go back to the ice, glumly thinking that it’s the only really home he’s ever known. He wishes desperately that it was Bitty, and Shitty, and the guys around him instead of his new team. It’s just not the same in the pros. The Samwell team had been his family, the Falconers was a team, they were his coworkers and maybe his friends but it wasn’t the same. Still he does his best to pretend he’s okay. Tater claps him on the shoulder when they head out of the airport together. 

“First year is hardest.” He says. “It gets better Zimboni.” 

“Thanks, Tater.” Jack answers, trying hard to smile. He suspects it’s entirely unconvincing but Tater still smiles back and lets him go. Jack climbs into his car, and heads back to his stupid empty apartment dreading it more than anything. He considers not going home. He considers driving straight to Samwell, but he knows that that would be unreasonable. So he goes “home.” He’s lucky that he does. He opens his front door expecting the dark cold rooms he is always met with. Instead he is met with bright light and the sounds of a full apartment. The familiar smell of pie is drifting out from the kitchen. Jack stands in the doorway of his own apartment for a long time just staring, wondering if he’s dreaming or something. 

His living room has been turned into a semblance of the Haus living room on the nights when Shitty had loudly declared that they needed blanket forts. Jack notices that they have very carefully not disturbed his main furniture, just worked around it. They’ve managed to set up a blanket canopy and two walls. Shitty is lying on the rug in front of the tv which has been covered in pillows and blankets which must have been brought from the Haus. He has already lost his pants somewhere. Lardo is sitting next to him, drawing what appears to be a detailed still life of Jack’s house plant on Shitty’s back. Ransom and Holster are on the couch, cuddled together chatting. Chowder sits nearby talking to Nursey. When Jack turns he sees Bitty and Dex coming out of the kitchen holding two pies, which they carry to the dining room table which already holds more baked goods than is truly reasonable. Bitty has Beyonce playing from his phone, and the team’s voices make the air that normally seems so leaden feel light.

“What on earth?” Jack asks faintly dropping his bag on the floor by the door. Bitty jumps when he hears it. He had been so preoccupied with his pie that he hadn’t realized that Jack was there. He smiles when he sees Jack, and then throws his arms tight around him. 

“You played so well, honey. I’m so proud.” He says, kissing Jack on the cheek. 

“Thanks, Bits but what…” Jack doesn’t even know how to address what is happening here. Bitty looks worried. 

“Well, I have a key, and I thought… well you always say how much you miss having the team to come back to. And I thought you might appreciate us being here. You don’t have to let us stay here or anything if you don’t want. Or you can just go to sleep, or do whatever in your room. I didn’t mean to overstep, or invade your space but-” Bitty stammers. Jack looks around at his teammates who are all smiling at him. His chest feels like it’s going to explode and there’s a lump in his throat so huge he couldn’t speak even if he knew what to say. Instead he just sweeps Bitty into another tight hug. 

“Thank you.” He manages to say quietly, and he cannot help the tear that escapes the corner of his eye. 

“You are so very welcome.” Bitty tells him. “We’ve got your back.” He adds. With that Shitty crawls out from under his blanket canopy and nearly tackles Jack in a hug. 

“I am so damn proud of you, you beautiful bastard!” He exclaims. “Now come help us decide what to watch.” He adds pulling Jack back over to the living room fort. 

Jack follows him, still a little overwhelmed and in awe. Before he can really take the time to think about how they all got here, and all the other details of the situation he finds himself situated in the center of his couch with Bitty at his side. The team is scattered around them all curled together, laughing and chirping each other as they watch the documentary about the Jazz Age that Jack’s been meaning to get around to for ages. The whole apartment smells like apples and cinnamon. Jack is just breathing it all in, happier than he can remember being in weeks. That thought makes him laugh. 

“What’s so funny?” Bitty asks. Jack shrugs. 

“I just… I’m so happy.” He answers. “We just lost the playoffs and I’m happier than I’ve been in ages.” 

“You’re allowed to be happy, Jack.” Bitty tells him. “You should be. Because hockey, it’s your job. Not your life.” 

“You’re right.” Jack agrees, looking around. This is his life: his ridiculous friends, and his amazing boyfriend and an apartment filled with light and sound and delicious smells. This is his home.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought!


End file.
